This section is intended to introduce various aspects of the art, which may be associated with exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. This discussion is believed to assist in providing a framework to facilitate a better understanding of particular aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that this section should be read in this light, and not necessarily as admissions of prior art.
Many oil producing countries are experiencing strong domestic growth in power demand and have an interest in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) to improve oil recovery from their reservoirs. Two common EOR techniques include nitrogen (N2) injection for reservoir pressure maintenance and carbon dioxide (CO2) injection for miscible flooding for EOR. There is also a global concern regarding green house gas (GHG) emissions. This concern combined with the implementation of cap-and-trade policies in many countries make reducing CO2 emissions a priority for these and other countries as well as the companies that operate hydrocarbon production systems therein.
Some approaches to lower CO2 emissions include fuel de-carbonization or post-combustion capture using solvents, such as amines. However, both of these solutions are expensive and reduce power generation efficiency, resulting in lower power production, increased fuel demand and increased cost of electricity to meet domestic power demand. In particular, the presence of oxygen, SOX, and NOX components makes the use of amine solvent absorption very problematic. Another approach is an oxyfuel gas turbine in a combined cycle (e.g., where exhaust heat from the gas turbine Brayton cycle is captured to make steam and produce additional power in a Rankin cycle). However, there are no commercially available gas turbines that can operate in such a cycle and the power required to produce high purity oxygen significantly reduces the overall efficiency of the process. Several studies have compared these processes and show some of the advantages of each approach. See, e.g. BOLLAND, OLAV, and UNDRUM, HENRIETTE, Removal of CO2 from Gas Turbine Power Plants: Evaluation of pre- and post-combustion methods, SINTEF Group, found at http://www.energy.sintef.no/publ/xergi/98/3/3 art-8-engelsk.htm (1998).
Other approaches to lower CO2 emissions include stoichiometric exhaust gas recirculation, such as in natural gas combined cycles (NGCC). In a conventional NGCC system, only about 40% of the air intake volume is required to provide adequate stoichiometric combustion of the fuel, while the remaining 60% of the air volume serves to moderate the temperature and cool the flue gas so as to be suitable for introduction into the succeeding expander, but also disadvantageously generate an excess oxygen byproduct which is difficult to remove. The typical NGCC produces low pressure flue gas which requires a fraction of the power produced to extract the CO2 for sequestration or EOR, thereby reducing the thermal efficiency of the NGCC. Further, the equipment for the CO2 extraction is large and expensive, and several stages of compression are required to take the ambient pressure gas to the pressure required for EOR or sequestration. Such limitations are typical of post-combustion carbon capture from low pressure flue gas associated with the combustion of other fossil fuels, such as coal.
Accordingly, there is still a substantial need for a low emission, high efficiency power generation and CO2 capture or manufacture process.